EU: Dentons strengthens antitrust group

Dentons has strengthened its Competition and Antitrust group in Brussels with the recruitment of two partners, Yves Botteman and Jean-Nicolas Maillard. They join along with a team of two associates, Camille Keres and Daniel Barrio.

“The recruitment of this team is an important step in our strategy to further develop our Brussels office by investing in key practices,” said Edward Borovikov, Belgium Managing Partner. “With their proven track record in EU competition law, Yves and Jean-Nicolas will create excellent synergies with our well respected Competition and Antitrust team.”

Yves Botteman was previously a partner at Steptoe & Johnson, where he led the global Antitrust and Competition practice, and prior to that, he was at Linklaters. He focuses on EU competition law, and in particular on EU and national merger control proceedings, and cartel and antitrust investigations. He has successfully represented clients in several European Commission proceedings and in antitrust cases before national courts of EU member states. He works with clients to design and implement their distribution networks in Europe. He advises on EU competition enforcement in ecommerce, including geo-blocking, online platforms, algorithms, big data, and the Internet of things. He also provides practical support in implementing antitrust compliance programs and conducting audits. He is recognized as leading lawyer in Competition and Antitrust by Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500.

Jean-Nicolas Maillard was a partner at Steptoe & Johnson, and prior to that, he worked at Freshfields in Paris and Linklaters in London and Paris. He advises on EU and French competition law, with a particular focus on cartel and antitrust investigations. Over the last few years, he has represented companies in connection with numerous EU and French Competition Authority cases (flour, consumer electronics, rail maintenance, fresh dairy products, beer, payment systems, freight forwarding, poultry, veterinary products) and related follow-on litigation cases in French courts. He works closely with suppliers on all issues connected to the distribution of their products and services in Europe. He regularly implements antitrust compliance initiatives with in-house teams, including risk-mapping and comprehensive antitrust audits. Jean-Nicolas has also assisted clients with the merger control aspects of over 100 corporate transactions. He is recognized for his expertise in Competition and Antitrust in France by Chambers & Partners and by The Legal 500.